Youth Of America
This post is not really about music, except for the background riff rattling through my skull. Fans of intense, moody, propulsive rock music from the late 70s and early 80s ought to get their tails over to Zeno Records and pick up the box set of the first three Wipers albums -- if only for the outtakes and bonus tracks. (If you already have this set, then take a few minutes to visit and learn about Greg Sage's tangential role in Portland's professional wrestling scene -- but do turn down your speakers first thanks to the embedded auto-play musical selections.)Anyway, most everyone has ranted about "those darn kids today" at some point. It goes back a few thousand years, at least, with those witty Romans sighing "O tempora, o mores" as they sashayed to the Colosseum to watch people maul each other for entertainment. Today, though, it's as much about their parents as it is about those darn kids.
One of the best interpretations I've seen appeared in a recent thread on Jezebel (part of the GawkerMedia family) about the nightmare that is recutting old Sesame Street episodes (i.e. the era I grew up watching) to remove the negative influences -- like "Alistair Cookie" taking a bite out of his pipe. Commenter Cycles does the honors:
The rewrite goes on for the second verse, as well.Sunny day (so be sure to put on sunblock so you don't get cancer)
Sweepin' the clouds away (but bring a raincoat and umbrella in case they come back)
On my way to where the air is sweet (but don't breathe in too hard, what with all the exhaust fumes and pollution)Can you tell me how to get (kids, if you're lost, go to a police station. do not get directions from strangers)
How to get to Sesame Street (get an adult to help you cross the street, you could get run over)
This latest incident gives me the chance to pull out some material I'd been meaning to mention for some time.
First up is Susan Solomon's excellent research on playground design.
(Disclosure -- I've enjoyed many fine meals and band performances at the Solomon
home... but that has no bearing on this topic.) A key premise of her book is that contemporary playground design is all about limiting risk and liability, instead of creative play and learning through the occasional skinned knee, which ultimately is damaging to our kids and their ability to survive in the real world. A debate in the Philadelphia City Paper between Mrs. Solomon and a risk-management specialist really brings out the contrasts -- and makes me ashamed to be a lawyer (even if I don't practice personal injury or insurance law).Further confirming the lunacy are (1) the stories from a year ago on Boston-area schools banning a hearty game of tag at recess, and (2) the stunning contrast between contemporary U.S. safety-first play areas and the crazed art of Russian playgrounds, including something that looks like a log-rolling trainer over asphalt.
And then there's one of those e-mail forwards. My uncle Ray is a horrible culprit for this practice (as I've cataloged at the Annex from time to time). About 1 of every 20 forwards has some redeeming value -- and it's easier to delete the 19 than to complain about them. Here's one of the better ones, edited slightly for my own proclivities ...
Here's to All the Kids Who Survived the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70's!
We survived being born to mothers who smoked and drank while pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing and tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. After that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags. We rode our bikes without helmets.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank KoolAid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because we were always outside playing! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were OK.
We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendos, X-boxes, really no video games at all. No 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms.
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth -- and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and (although we were told it would happen) we did not put out many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of -- they actually sided with the law.
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. If you are one of these people . . . congratulations! You might want to share this with others who had the luck to grow up before so much of our lives became regulated for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were as kinds. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!
With that, let's return to our regularly scheduled programming...
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